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S11 (11.1) General Support/Tank Fafnir Guide for Multiple Game Modes (updated February 2024)

40 8 169,201
9.4
by Hadeyan updated February 11, 2024

Smite God: Fafnir

Build Guide Discussion 30 More Guides
Choose a Build: Arena & Joust & Slash
Arena & Joust & Slash Assault Conquest / Support
Tap Mouse over an item or ability icon for detailed info

Build Summary

Starter Options

Build Item Sentinel's Gift Sentinel's Gift
Build Item Benevolence Benevolence
Build Item Sundering Axe Sundering Axe
Build Item Tainted Steel Tainted Steel
Build Item War Flag War Flag
Build Item Vampiric Shroud Vampiric Shroud
Build Item Sands of Time Sands of Time

Hybrid Build

Notes Back in the day, Shogun's Kusari was the best magical prot item for Fafnir but now it gives %10 more Attack Speed instead of cooldown. So it's not as good as before. So it depends if you play with very basic attack heavy team comp go for Shogun's , but if its not new Void armor amazing for Fafnir's dragon form.

Notes

Back in the day, Shogun's Kusari was the best magical prot item for Fafnir but now it gives %10 more Attack Speed instead of cooldown. So it's not as good as before. So it depends if you play with very basic attack heavy team comp go for Shogun's , but if its not new Void armor amazing for Fafnir's dragon form.

Build Item Spartan Flag Spartan Flag
Build Item Gauntlet of Thebes Gauntlet of Thebes
Build Item Mystical Mail Mystical Mail
Build Item Void Doumaru Void Doumaru
Build Item Glorious Pridwen Glorious Pridwen
Build Item Divine Ruin Divine Ruin

Fafnir's Skill Order

Cursed Strength

1 X Y
Cursed Strength
1 4 6 8 11

Coerce

2 A B
Coerce
3 7 12 14 15

Underhanded Tactics

3 B A
Underhanded Tactics
2 10 16 18 19

Draconic Corruption

4 Y X
Draconic Corruption
5 9 13 17 20
Cursed Strength
1 4 6 8 11

Cursed Strength

1 X
Fafnir hurls his hammer forward, dealing damage to enemies in its path. If Fafnir hits a god the hammer stops short and Stuns them. The Stunned god also radiates out a cursed pulse, Slowing them and nearby enemies by 20% for 3s.

In dragon form, this ability deals increased damage that ticks 3 times over 3s. Also, the cursed pulse shreds Protections in addition to Slowing.

Ability Type: Line, Crowd Control, Damage
Damage: 100 / 140 / 180 / 220 / 260 (+50% of your Magical Power)
Stun: 1 / 1.1 / 1.2 / 1.3 / 1.4s
Dragon Damage per Tick: 50 / 70 / 90 / 110 / 130 (+25% of your Magical Power)
Dragon Protection Debuff: 20%
Cost: 60 / 65 / 70 / 75 / 80
Cooldown: 15 / 14.5 / 14 / 13.5 / 13s
Coerce
3 7 12 14 15

Coerce

2 A
Fafnir coerces his allies into fighting harder, boosting Attack Speed for 5s and healing himself. While Coerce is active Fafnir deals bonus Magic Damage whenever the affected ally damages an enemy.

In dragon form, this ability has a larger area of effect and can buff multiple allies.

Ability Type: Target, Buff, Damage
Attack Speed Buff: 20 / 22.5 / 25 / 27.5 / 30%
Bonus Damage: 4 / 8 / 12 / 16 / 20% of the target's power
Self Heal: 40 / 60 / 80 / 100 / 120
Cost: 50 / 55 / 60 / 65 / 70
Cooldown: 16s
Underhanded Tactics
2 10 16 18 19

Underhanded Tactics

3 B
Fafnir leaps to a target location and executes a despicable strike, dealing damage and disarming enemies in front of him for 2s.

In dragon form, Fafnir can leap much further. Also, this ability deals increased damage that ticks three times over the course of 3s and Fafnir Stuns the enemy god closest to him for 2s in addition to Disarming.

Ability Type: Cone, Leap, Damage
Damage: 80 / 120 / 160 / 200 / 240 (+60% of your Magical Power)
Dragon Damage Per Tick: 40 / 60 / 80 / 100 / 120 (+30% of your Magical Power)
Cost: 60
Cooldown: 15s
Draconic Corruption
5 9 13 17 20

Draconic Corruption

4 Y
Fafnir transforms into a terrifying dragon and is untargetable during the process. When he emerges in dragon form, he regains 200 Mana and nearby enemies are poisoned, taking damage three times over 3s. He remains in this form for a duration or until the ability is activated again.

As a dragon, his abilities have additional effects and his basic attack changes to a Dragon Breath that deals damage 3 times per second. Dragon Breath can not proc item hit effects.

Ability Type: Circle, Buff, Damage
Damage Per Tick: 80 / 100 / 120 / 140 / 160 (+40% of your Magical Power)
Duration: 20 / 30 / 40 / 50 / 60s
Dragon Breath Damage: 20 / 30 / 40 / 50 / 60 (+10% of your Magical Power)
Radius: 30
Cost: 70
Cooldown: 90s

Extended Build

Anti-Physical Build

Notes This is a build if the enemy has %70+ physical team-comp

Notes

This is a build if the enemy has %70+ physical team-comp

Build Item Sundering Axe Sundering Axe
Build Item Sovereignty Sovereignty
Build Item Gauntlet of Thebes Gauntlet of Thebes
Build Item Breastplate of Determination Breastplate of Determination
Build Item Contagion Contagion
Build Item Reverent Pridwen Reverent Pridwen

Anti-Magical Build

Notes This is a build if the enemy has %70+ magical team-comp

Notes

This is a build if the enemy has %70+ magical team-comp

Build Item Sentinel's Embrace Sentinel's Embrace
Build Item Gauntlet of Thebes Gauntlet of Thebes
Build Item Shogun's Kusari Shogun's Kusari
Build Item Void Doumaru Void Doumaru
Build Item Glorious Pridwen Glorious Pridwen
Build Item Divine Ruin Divine Ruin

Build for AA Base Teammates

Notes If you're in a very heavily Basic Attack Base Team Comp

Notes

If you're in a very heavily Basic Attack Base Team Comp

Build Item War Banner War Banner
Build Item Gauntlet of Thebes Gauntlet of Thebes
Build Item Contagion Contagion
Build Item Shogun's Kusari Shogun's Kusari
Build Item Breastplate of Determination Breastplate of Determination
Build Item Talisman of Energy Talisman of Energy

Anti-Heal Options

Build Item Pestilence Pestilence
Build Item Divine Ruin Divine Ruin
Build Item Contagion Contagion

Utility & Mobility Options

Build Item Winged Blade Winged Blade
Build Item Lotus Sickle Lotus Sickle
Build Item Breastplate of Regrowth Breastplate of Regrowth
Build Item Abyssal Stone Abyssal Stone
Build Item Toxic Blade Toxic Blade
Build Item Gem of Isolation Gem of Isolation
Build Item Relic Dagger Relic Dagger
Build Item Doom Orb Doom Orb
Build Item Stone of Binding Stone of Binding

More Damage Options.

Build Item Spear of Desolation Spear of Desolation
Build Item Obsidian Shard Obsidian Shard
Build Item Ethereal Staff Ethereal Staff
Build Item Pythagorem's Piece Pythagorem's Piece
Build Item Charon's Coin Charon's Coin
Build Item Soul Reaver Soul Reaver
Build Item Gem of Isolation Gem of Isolation
Build Item Rod of Tahuti Rod of Tahuti
Build Item Spear of the Magus Spear of the Magus

Relic Options

Build Item Blink Rune Blink Rune
Build Item Heavenly Wings Heavenly Wings
Build Item Horrific Emblem Horrific Emblem
Build Item Magic Shell Magic Shell
Build Item Cloak of Meditation Cloak of Meditation
Build Item Shield of Thorns Shield of Thorns

Other Defensive Picks

Build Item Breastplate of Regrowth Breastplate of Regrowth
Build Item Mail of Renewal Mail of Renewal
Build Item Stone of Gaia Stone of Gaia
Build Item Prophetic Cloak Prophetic Cloak
Build Item Midgardian Mail Midgardian Mail
Build Item Oni Hunter's Garb Oni Hunter's Garb
Build Item Genji's Guard Genji's Guard
Build Item Breastplate of Valor Breastplate of Valor
Build Item Emperor's Armor Emperor's Armor
Build Item Archdruid's Fury Archdruid's Fury
Build Item Mantle of Discord Mantle of Discord
Build Item Pridwen Pridwen
Build Item Absolution Absolution
Build Item Erosion Erosion

True Tank Build

Build Item Sentinel's Embrace Sentinel's Embrace
Build Item Gauntlet of Thebes Gauntlet of Thebes
Build Item Sovereignty Sovereignty
Build Item Amulet of Silence Amulet of Silence
Build Item Contagion Contagion
Build Item Shogun's Kusari Shogun's Kusari

Utility Build

Build Item Sentinel's Boon Sentinel's Boon
Build Item Gauntlet of Thebes Gauntlet of Thebes
Build Item Breastplate of Determination Breastplate of Determination
Build Item Reverent Pridwen Reverent Pridwen
Build Item Talisman of Energy Talisman of Energy
Build Item Bewitched Dagger Bewitched Dagger

Introduction

First of all, English is not my main language so please excuse some of my grammar mistakes :)

Hi.. I'm not a high-ranked (diamond and above) or pro player. But I'm a very loyal and long-time Smite player. I'm mostly a casual and golden to plat ranked player and for a long time I'm at a 10+ mastery level with Fafnir. Tho I'm not an advanced competitive Smite playeryet, at the same time I watch and follow professional players, analysts, and educator streamers. And try to follow the current meta since 5.17.

I try to cover Fafnir as a supportive god for multiple game modes.

Fafnir is a Norse god that is classified as a guardian. He is a magical melee fighter. Smite classified his difficulty level as "average" but I found him hard to master. Both his skill floor and skill ceiling are high. Not super high but it's mechanically demanded. Because he is an ability-dependent, utility type of guardian. And Fafnir's bread&butter is his and once you miss that it's bad news for you, especially if your is down at the moment. requires specific targeting, and his requires pinpoint accuracy. He is a mechanical god.

Fafnir ain't have a big setup cc ultimate. But he has a lot of good assistance-based skills. is a self-heal for himself and power & attack speed buff for a targetted teammate(usually an ADC). This is the best skill in terms of duo lane relevancy imo. And with other aura items such as or Fafnir makes his aa base teammates such as adc and jungler way deadlier.

His is his main clear, main damage, and also has great stun peeling. And he can buff any auto-attack base god on the field. And Thanks to his passive even getting behind in terms of the level he never gets behind in terms of gold. His passive + the passive of helps him a lot in early gold collecting.

And he also got a couple of buffs during the previous season. So it's still a good time for Fafnir.

Let's start!

Abilities of Fafnir

Actually, I mentioned a lot of his key points in terms of abilities in Introduction section. So lets move on from there.

And don't forget Fafnir dwarf->dragon->dwarf transformations always will reset all cooldowns on skills. For example, if you used in dwarf form. And then when you use Dragonic Corruption and turn to dragon. You'll see that the dragonic version of has no cooldown on it. It's resetted. So that's why before turning to Dragon use all your kit. To box the enemy. And ın Dragon mode keep the same thing cuz when you turn back to dwarf mode your cooldowns will reset again.

Thanks to his passive Fafnir gets extra benefits from farming and due to passive at late game his extra (in hand) golds will return as protections buffs (30 protections magic&physic each for 1000 and above gold).

This is Fafnir's main clear, setup and utility ability. It got buffed now its a bit more threatful.

This is a self heal and bonus attack amp for you and Attack speed for your teammate.

This is your main escape or due to situation its your main engage tool. It has a disarm effect when you hit with this to enemy. And in Dragon form it has disarm effect and 2nd stun. And remember this is a leap. It can pass thru walls.

This is one of the most unique ultimates in the game. Because this is not stance swamp ability, it has an experiment time on it, and its a transformation.

As Dragon you have all abilities of your Dwarf form but now on bigger scales with better CC and damage.

In his Dragon form his AA (auto-attacks) are very deadly and important to use wisely.

And a final tip for Dragon form. When your form close to its limit go away from the actual battle. Cuz you'll be vulnerable thru transformation process (Dragon to Dwarf). Always consider this disadvantage of Fafnir.

Combos for Fafnir


Fafnir ain't have much of a combo chain imo. But you can pull off some'em.

Short Combos:





Mid/Full Combos:

Dragonic Corruption

Dragonic Corruption


Dragonic Corruption

Full Combos:

Dragonic Corruption


Dragonic Corruption

Gameplay

For Arena;

Fafnir could be the best arena support when you have lots of hyper-carry gods. Fafnir is one of the (if he is not the most) hardest gods to kill. So as Fafnir can dive into the enemy backline and drag the enemy's attention to himself and while they're trying to take him down, your team can kill stunned, debuffed, disarmed, dazzled enemies easily. They will waste a lot of skills or even ultimates on Fafnir and he just turns to the Dragon and pop off from there too far away.

Build as tanky as possible and use your utility abilities wisely. Don't use your for minion clears. There are other 4 gods to do that. Kept that for upcoming attacks or for your own setup.

Always feed auto-attack base gods with your if you don't need clutch heals for yourself.

For Joust & Slash:

Lanes are narrower compared to Conquest and objectives are closer compared to Slash or Conquest. So you don't need crazy mobility. And at these modes, Every fight is directly a team fight and gank. So that's why farming, is not your main focus. You don't need chalices maybe for these modes but wards still would be helpful.

In the early game approach act as backline support and through mid to late game switch to frontline juggernaut mode.

Always feed auto-attack base gods with your if you don't need clutch heals for yourself.


For Assault:

AS Similar to Slash and Joust act as backline support in the early game and start to go aggressive through mid-game. And always pick aura items for the best sustainable team fights.


And at last but not least; Conquest

Fafnir is always an exceptional and suspicious support pick for me in Conquest cuz his main clear ability is also his main utility and setup ability. Cuz of that sometimes his kit makes you feel unrewarded. Also, his cooldowns are kinda a bit longer than you want. So you need to decide on the usage of your abilities wisely maybe more than any other guardian. That's why probably he is one of the most mechanical tough guardians out there.

But he is not a slouch for sure. His boxing and sustain are also one of a kind. Use this. He has decent mobility and escapes tools and cc. Plus he can deal surprisingly good damage, especially in the late game. All you need to do is act as backliner support when ur ult down(such as Khepri, Sylvanus, Yemoja, etc) between early and mid and then switch to frontline (Such as Xing Tian, Ares, Bachus, etc) mid to late. That's the key for Fafnir.

Thx to his passive, he kinda of counters his bad early laning/farming phase cuz he always gets more gold than his actual effort. Thx to both his and the passives of many support starters. And cuz of it, you could keep your for setup instead of for a clear. He has that flexibility.

Also, you should always be careful about warding and using Chalice of The Oracle after during mid-game. You don't have defensive or supportive big guardian ultimate so you can't save your adc/carry from 3 or 4 men ganks if you don't pay attention to warding and chalice of oracle your adc and then probably you too would be dead.

Ward, rotate, be cunny, be sneaky. Fafnir demands "Underhanded Tactics" after all.

Pros & Cons

PROS:

- Unique mechanical, not boring game style (not a brain-dead god).
- You're turning into acid firing dragon!
- Hard to Kill and Hard to Catch.
- He is especially good with AA base teammates via his #2
- He can deal big damage thru the late-game
- His passive covers his farming disadvantage
- Very small hitbox as a dwarf. Hard to hit, easy to juke.
- Landing his utility skills are satisfying and rewarding.
- He is generally a popular pick on pro leagues. So ı don't remember a time that he ain't a meta pick!


CONS:

- Hard to Play even harder to Master it.
- Long cooldowns
- His biggest utility and damage abilities also his only escape and clear abilities so it's not compatible or useful as old fashion supports.
- Some Level of Mana Hungry
- Ability Dependent (Specially in the Dwarf form)
- He has only 2 types of CC (stun & disarm) and those are hard or situational to setup.
- The early game could be rough
- In Dragon Form, you have a huuuge hitbox.

Leave a Comment

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1
bluestboy | May 26, 2020 10:50am
which conquest build would you recommend to new fafnirs like me ;-;
1
Hadeyan (2) | June 12, 2020 9:26am
AS the guide's creator. Now im gonna throw my 2 cents.

FOr new fafnir players i think cdr is more important than experienced Fafnir Player. For example an experienced fafnir could hit his #1 more accurately and frequently. But for new fafnir player its more unlikely to happen.

So thats why after Guardian's blessing going for CDR boots could be trick for you. Then go for Gauntlet of Thebes + Shogun's Kusari + Contagion + Pridwen (if you feel comfortable enough then swap pridwen for Relic Dagger)
1
Kriega1 (143) | May 26, 2020 12:17pm
CDR boots > Thebes > Sovereignty > Shogun’s Kusari > Relic Dagger > Mantle Of Discord. Buy speed elixir and sell boots lategame for Ethereal Staff.

Also never buy Pridwen on Fafnir, ever. It’s a really bad item on him and the passive only procs when his dragon form ends.
1
bluestboy | May 27, 2020 8:29am
thanks
1
Devampi (105) | May 26, 2020 1:42pm
I think I would swap kusari for Pestilence as loads of players undervalue anti heal. And most adc will AA near cap anyway especially with Coerce.
I would also probably swap mantle for Spirit Robe in that case, cheaper and the mitigations and ccr. Probably partly slightly my preference too.

Also pridwen on a lot of supports is mostly for the cdr boost providing double prot. The other option would indeed be BoV, however then you need to drop Sov or a potential spectral, midguardian. On top of that it's slightly more of a selfish item.
Also the pridwen shield can help out when dragon form despawns. (although this all does require travellers or reinforced shoes.)

EDIT: mantle spirit swap if you grab pest instead of kusari.
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1
boogiebass (46) | May 26, 2020 12:57pm
I'm also not sure about that early Shogun kusari and late Jade emperor crown.
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1
Hadeyan (2) | April 13, 2020 7:44am
I took a little bit more detailed and small corrections lastly. Its updated again. I hope it would be helpful for acid spitting dragon lovers :D
1
Love Ninja | July 30, 2019 1:55pm
Hey I'm still learning the ins and outs of this game, mainly using builds from here and from other friends, but I was curious what you might adjust if anything for specifically Joust mode.
1
Hadeyan (2) | April 10, 2020 9:13am
For Joust only ? Well its not much different than My Arena-Clash-Joust build actualy. ITs totaly about what you got as enemy team composition.

But in Joust, in one lane your leaps and dragon breaths are stronger and hitting with 1 easier. So you might go a bit more aggressive thru late game. But in early game stay as tanky as you can.
1
Kriega1 (143) | April 3, 2019 4:56am
Oh boy these are some very questionable builds and items listed here.

Demonic Grip, all the offensive options, shaman's, telkhines, iso etc... should not be listed here. Arguably the only hybrid item I would list is Gem of Iso and thats it.
1
boogiebass (46) | April 10, 2020 1:13pm
Hayden, please consider revisiting this comment. Though I also want to add void stone and ethereal staff as options.
1
IceColdPappsi (13) | April 2, 2019 3:06pm
I will only comment on the fact you have a item section that will help benefit Fafnir's Dragon Breath, even though it is stated that Dragon Breath does not activate item effects
1
Hadeyan (2) | April 3, 2019 10:55am
Oh, then its my bad ı will rearrange that part then ..
1
AtomicPie525 (5) | April 2, 2019 2:59pm
Personally, I am really not a fan of Emperor's Armor unless you are getting really heavily pressured under tower early game, and pick it up early game. For the most part later on, I don't find it that helpful.

Does telkhine's ring work in dragon form? I seem to recall it not working before, but it has been a long time since I did build it on him. If it does, it would really increase his damage output.

As far as defensive items, I don't think there's anything crucial that you missed. Looks pretty decent all around to me, though, I do have to question how often the passive on Stone of Fal would actually help you if you are building as a tank.
1
Hadeyan (2) | April 3, 2019 11:02am
Btw ı picked Emperor's Armor specialy for Assault and Late Game Conquest.

For Siege and Assault:

In ***asult and Siege siegeing is extra important and also making your tower deadlier while you're under is gold when you're at low health in assault.

In Conquest;

Phoneixs are stronger than before and thanks to totem of ku you can regen your towers for a while. So sieging also is a bit of issue in Conquest too.

And fafnir has an Auto Attack Buff ability. So you can buff your adc but also turn enemy tower a slow-po. Its a win-win to me for late game. Also its a very cheap item. But of course its not mandatory for a support ı know that.
1
Hadeyan (2) | April 3, 2019 10:54am
Thanks for this feedback.
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League of Legends Build Guide Author Hadeyan
S11 (11.1) General Support/Tank Fafnir Guide for Multiple Game Modes (updated February 2024)
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